Flittering Misfortune
by animeflower107
Summary: Opposites attract, or so they say. Maybe that's what brought their friendship together, and it may be just what tears their relationship apart. When one becomes evil, can the other do anything to reverse it? Maybe, or maybe not, they say that love can conquer all. -Starts off in their childhood 400 yrs before FT, multiple genres, eventual Zervis/Maref, full & fixed summary inside!
1. The Prologue

Flittering Misfortune

Opposites attract, or so they say. Maybe that's what brought their friendship together as children, and it may be just what tears their relationship apart as adults. But when their differences lead one to become evil, can the other do anything to reverse it? Maybe, or maybe not, though they say that love can conquer all. Story starts off in their childhood, about 400 years before the events of Fairy Tail, multiple genres (friendship, romance, suspense, hurt/comfort, adventure and drama), eventual Zervis/Maref, and Fairy Tail members will eventually enter the story! Long, probably crappy summary that is subject to change, but it'll be a good story. My "re-introduction" to FanFiction, hope it does justice!

AnimeFlower: KYAA!

Lucy: Af1-chan!

Happy: Your back!

Juvia: Hurray!

Gray & Natsu: Please… go back to where you came from.

AF1-chan: …

Lucy: Hey now, don't be so rude.

Levy: Yeah, she's been gone for a year!

Natsu & Gray: Sorry, AF1-chan.

AnimeFlower: *pouts* S'alright. I forgive you. But anyways… Hello fanfiction readers and writers! AF1-chan is back and ready to roll!

Happy: Aye sir!

AnimeFlower: I've got a bunch of stories up my sleeve, and I'm determined to write them, even if school is about to start! I recall that's why I had to stop writing last year… stupid school. Ugh. But… Not this time! Nope! Please stick with me; I won't leave you this time, I promise. Mira…?

Mirajane: AF1-chan does not own me, Natsu, Lucy, Mavis, Zeref, Happy… or any other aspect of Fairy Tail. She does, however, own this story and her own creativity. Please enjoy! And stay tuned for after the story news updates.

Happy: Aye! Onto~ the story!

Chapter 1: Prologue

Mavis Vermilion was a very unhappy child.

Born to Judith Vermilion and Tori Hearto, who were both of the richest and most influential families in all of Earthland, she was naturally going to be a prim, proper, prestigious child, with an extremely lavish lifestyle. Although this would appeal to most, it did not do much for Mavis. She was in ladies and school everyday, which was full of tedious and irritating classes, such as Manors 101, the Way of the Proper Lady, the Empire State of Mind, and How to Deal With Commoners. The girl also had to attend etiquette school every day as well, not to mention having to go to business school every Saturday and Sunday. In a short, Mavis had spent the majority of her seven years on Earthland in school.

What's more is her parents literally bought her friendships because the other rich girls disliked her because she wasn't like them. She disliked the fancy dresses she had to wear, she disliked tea and wasn't afraid to get dirty. Even if Mavis's friendships were purchased, they didn't last long because she always figured out a way to dispose of them. Due to this, her father was constantly scolding her, and her mother often questioned whether this was really her daughter. Mavis hated those girls and she disliked her parents almost as much.

Zeref Dragosia however, was almost the exact opposite. Where as her family was rich and influential, his was the lowest of the low. His real parents abandoned him, leaving him to the care of his aunt and uncle. They thought of him as a burden, so he basically took care of himself. Worst off, he had that typical Dragosia look, (Raven black hair with a hint of purple, dull, solemn face, lazy posture, red droopy eyes…) so no one would even look at him, let alone help him out.

Zeref's friends were the many animals that lived in the forest. He talked to them, played with them, and visited them daily. He had no human friends, and when he wasn't at home or in the woods with his animal friends, he was spying on the townspeople and getting into varying mischiefs.

These two kids… it seems as if they should never meet. They were worlds apart, different social classes, different lives… And even more so, the Vermilions and the Dragosia had been enemies since the prehistoric ages. The Vermilions were practically responsible for the misfortune of the Dragosias.

But somehow, they did. And whether it was fate that brought them together or just pure coincidence, their meeting was sure to rock their worlds - and maybe even the rest of the world as well.

For better… or for worse.

...

Well, well, this is the first chapter of my newest creation, Flittering Misfortune! It is going to cover the lives of both Zeref and Mavis, and will "explain" how Zeref was sealed away and Mavis's "death" and etc. ...I've said too much already! Please know, this is my take on it, I am obviously not Hiro Mashima, so except for anything referenced in this story, this is purely imagination. Though, you already knew that, right? I'm so excited! Though, I don't expect a ton of reviews, seeing this is a rare fic in a way. I really hope you take the time to review, and be sure follow my story. Please?

During the time I was gone from FF, the website changed quite a bit. I also noticed no one really does those chat with the character things at the beginning anymore. I'm going to, however, because I think they're fun. I meant to post an entirely different story more than a month ago, on the same day I posted my first story, Fairy Fourth. However, I keep having to rewrite that first chapter, and I still am. But when I get my diamond in the rough, I'll be posting it! So, this is my second story, and I haven't written in a while, so I hope it's good enough for ya! With that, I bid thee adieu, please review! (I take le time to rhyme! No…? Well then. :P)

Happy: Aye! Bye bye!

...

I will explain more next chapter, but I'm going to be at "school" partially today, tomorrow and the next day. Ugh. Help me, please?


	2. Chapter 1: As Luck Would Have It

Flittering Misfortune

Opposites attract, or so they say. Maybe that's what brought their friendship together as children, and it may be just what tears their relationship apart as adults. But when their differences lead one to become evil, can the other do anything to reverse it? Maybe, or maybe not, though they say that love can conquer all. Story starts off in their childhood, about 400 years before the events of Fairy Tail, multiple genres (friendship, romance, suspense, hurt/comfort, adventure and drama), eventual Zervis/Maref, and Fairy Tail members will eventually enter the story! Long, probably crappy summary that is subject to change, but it'll be a good story. My "re-introduction" to FanFiction, hope it does justice!

-._._-.-.-.-_._.-

AnimeFlower: Hey guys!

Lucy: Hello~

AnimeFlower: So, here's chapter two of Flittering Misfortune! I'm so happy I got a few reviews! I was honestly only expecting one, maybe none, because this is not a very popular character selection, or at least compared to the others. So, very satisfied!

Lucy: Yep!

AnimeFlower: Where are Natsu, Gray, and Happy…?

Lucy: Um… they pranked Erza and she wasn't too happy about it…

AnimeFlower: Oh. Well… Mira!

*silence*

Lucy: Happy ate all the fish in the refrigerator, so I think she's helping Erza.

AnimeFlower: Levy!

Lucy: At the library.

AnimeFlower: Gajeel!

Lucy: With Levy.

AnimeFlower: AHH! Screw it! Lucy, you do the disclaimer today!

Lucy: AF1-chan does not own Fairy Tail or any of its aspects. She does own her stories, though. And she should've just asked me to do the disclaimer in the first place.

AnimeFlower: Well maybe next time I will. *sticks out tongue* On to~~~ the story!

Chapter 2 (1 :p)

"Mavis-san!"

The young, emerald eyed blonde turned in curiosity to find her plump brunette maid running towards her.

"Mavis-san!" She reprimanded sternly once she reached the girl. "Your mother and father have been looking all over for you!"

Mavis returned her concern with an expression of indifference.

"Goodness, Mavis! Do you have to make my job so difficult? And must you frolic around outside? Your dress is absolutely filthy!"

Mavis looked down at her new, hot pink dress with pastel pink ruffles and discovered that yes; her dress was covered in dirt and grass but it didn't really make that much of a difference to her.

"But-"

"No butts!" The maid interrupted. "Your mother is going to have my hide on the fireplace for this. Goodness, Mavis don't you understand…"

"Why do you guys have to make such a big deal out of stuff like this?  
Mavis interrupted quietly.

"Hmm? You say something, dear?" The maid asked, pausing mid rant.

"No, Matea."

"Oh, okay. Let's get you back to the castle. I still can't believe you've done this, Mavis."

"Yeah, yeah." Mavis replied.

With that, Matea captured the blonde's hand, and began walking her toward the accursed castle in an agitated silence. It was extremely peaceful in the castle gardens, making the heiress wish she could stay just a little longer. At least she had a form of peace now.

"Mavis!" The maid yelled, interrupting the silence.

"Hmm..?" Mavis replied, attempting not to sound irritated.

"Mavis!" She shouted again.

What was Matea screaming for? She already had her attention.

"Mavis if you don't…"

"WHAT?!" The young girl screamed, opening her eyes in anger.

Upon doing so, she discovered that she was not in the beautiful garden, wearing her pretty pink dress, but in her bed wearing an elegant silk nightgown. She also found that her maid, Matea was not holding her hand, yelling at her for no apparent reason; rather, she was in her face, yelling at her for not waking up.

"Now, that's not proper of a young heiress." Matea scolded.

Mavis sighed. "I apologize, Matea. I was just having a dream."

Matea smiled. "Now it's okay. It's time for breakfast, dearie. You've got a big day today."

The blonde sat up straight. What was going on today that was so important? "No school today?" She tried.

"No school today." Her maid repeated, retrieving a pretty pink dress with yellow flowers at the bottom from a nearby drawer.

"YAY!" Mavis shouted in glee, not bothering to ask why. Quickly, she got out of bed so Mavis could undress her.

"Is that all you ever worry about?"

"Nope!"

"You're so silly, Mavis." Matea laughed, slipping the dress over her head.

"On occasion." Mavis replied. Once her maid had the dress completely on, she ran over to her dressing room mirror. She was relieved to find that the pink dress was simple and appropriate for her age, reaching below her knees. "Thanks, Matea!"

"Yes, yes, now hurry along; your parents are waiting for you in the breakfast hall."

"Okay." Mavis replied, smile faltering a bit. Maybe there was more to this 'big day' than no school after all. Steeling herself for what lie ahead, she walked out of her room and down the east wing, toward the breakfast room.

~././O\.\.~

_Just another day, huh?_ Zeref thought, peering into the local outdoor market from behind a tree.

"Hey! That bird just stole an apple!" A round, bald man shouted angrily, pointing at a medium sized raven perched on a nearby pole. The black bird was clutching a juicy red apple in its beak by the stem and appeared to be looking upon the man amusedly.

"Oh, it's a raven. That's bad luck, Chuck." An emerald haired woman said from her nearby jewelry stand.

"Eh? Don't use my name in rhymes!" The apple cart owner yelled.

"But it's the truth."

"Whatever. It was just at random."

"Oh really? Isn't that the same bird from yesterday? And the day before? And the day before that? And the-"

"I get it." The man said with a scowl.

The bird cawed loudly before leaving him a white present on his head.

"EUGH!" The man yelled in outrage. "Just wait 'til I get my hands on you, damned bird!"

The bird flew in a circle around his head tauntingly before flying off into the forest, apple in beak.

"Damn that bird! Wait until I learn arrows magic! You'll be sorry, bird!"

"Chuck that may be too harsh…"

"Not at all! I'm taking my break now!" He shouted before storming off deeper into the market.

Zeref laughed at the scene before turning to the bird with a smirk. The raven looked at him with its beady eyes before dropping the apple to the ground.

"Aw man, Acnologia! How could you drop it like that?!"

The bird looked at him like it was the stupidest question in the entire world. Sighing, the black haired boy picked up the bruised apple from the dirt. Upon biting into it, he discovered that it was incredibly sweet.

"Why won't you say anything?" He asked in annoyance.

"Because he's not Acnologia." A voice growled.

Zeref turned to see an angry looking ebony bobcat like creature with indigo and silver streaks throughout its hair.

"Oh, there you are. Sorry, Acnologia. Sorry, random bird."

The raven cawed loudly in annoyance before flying off through the trees.

"Zeref…" Acnologia sighed. "Just _how _did you mistake me for a bird?"

"I… I don't know… I thought you shape shifted… and I was hungry."

The bobcat like creature sighed. "I wouldn't have changed into some measly raven," He paused, allowing a light to build up around him, "I would've changed into something like this!" The light flashed brightly, and then faded, leaving a gigantic, ebony thunderbird in its wake. Its wings were metallic in appearance and wild, with silver and indigo etched in. Although, due to his young age, his transformation was a rather small for a thunderbird, being only about the size of an ostrich.

"Woah! A thunderbird! Cool!"

"Exactly." Acnologia replied smugly, transforming into a large black dog.

"Hey, Acnologia, did you notice how busy the market has gotten?" The young boy asked, pointing his thumb at the market.

"Eh?" The shifter replied, looking toward a now overflowing market.

"WOAH!"

"I can't believe it!"

"They're coming here?!"

"Why?"

"Sounds like something's going on." Acnologia replied. "Let's go check it out."

"Sure." Zeref replied, heading towards the market.

~)().o.()(~

"Mavis…" Her father greeted.

He was sitting at the very front of their gigantic rectangular dining table made of pure gold in a ruby and gold throne like chair. He sat stiffly in his chair with his black hair slicked downward, wearing a puffy white shirt with black slacks. Her mother was seated to the right of him in an identical fuchsia and gold throne like chair. Her long, golden hair was set in an elegant high bun, and she was wearing her favorite aquamarine dress.

"Good morning, father, good morning, mother." Mavis greeted back.

Mavis stood before the gigantic dining table, waiting for permission to sit. Said fact irritated her to no end. She lived here as well, why couldn't she sit anywhere she darn well pleased?

After several more moments, she was invited to sit down. Thanking her parents, she grabbed a seat on the opposite side of the table.

"How was your rest, princess?" Mrs. Vermilion asked.

"Very nice, thanks." Mavis replied shortly.

"Here you are, Mavis-san." She watched as a chef brought out a golden food dome to her place at the table. Once he removed the top, he bowed before quickly disappearing into the kitchen. Although she appreciated all the respect, she was only seven for peat sake! All the bowing became really irritating sometimes.

Sighing, she looked at her 'breakfast': a measly amount of cheese covered duck eggs, with three slices of ham the size of a quarter and an assortment of sliced fruit in a tiny bowl. 'Princess sized portions,' her mother had explained the one time she had complained. She nearly growled at the memory.

_The Vermilion family was in the midst of having dinner together, and Mavis was overjoyed for a change. Not only did her parents allow her to dance in the ballroom and attend school for only half the day, but the young blonde was able to dine right beside her mother for a change. Normally, her parents were surrounded by rich snobs trying to get a piece of the Vermilion wealth._

"_Momma." Mavis called. _

_Their food had just arrived, along with the disappointing fact that the young girl's food portion was even smaller than that of the previous day. Although she was taught not to complain, this had to be an exception. All she was given was a fish fillet the size of her tiny hand, along with a teacup sized amount of salad._

"_Yes dear?" Her mom replied, diving into her food._

"_My food…"_

"_Is it cold? Not to your satisfactions?" The woman asked, sending a glare toward the kitchen. The kitchen staff shook in fear._

"_No, no, momma, it's just that it's so… small."_

"_Small?" Her mother asked._

"_Yes. Small." Mavis repeated._

_Her mother looked at her incredulously before beginning to laugh in a dignified manner. The young blonde looked at her mother in offense. This was a serious matter! _

_Upon seeing her daughter's serious expression, Tori stopped laughing. "Oh, you were serious." She took another bite of her food before continuing. "Why Mavis, you can't over eat. These portions were made for you."_

"_But they're tiny." _

"_And you're tiny."_

_Mavis's father, Judith, took this debate as an opportunity to leave, and quickly left the room._

"_But I want to eat as much as Uncle Rick!" Mavis said with a smile, not bothering to notice her father's absence. Every time her uncle came over, her mother complained about having to restock half the kitchen. With great right, due to the fact he could eat three entire turkeys plus two whole pigs in one sitting. _

"_Mavis Mairy Vermilion." Her mother said sternly. "Don't you ever let such a **disgusting** thing come out of your mouth again."_

_Mavis flinched at her mother's harsh words. Had she really said something so wrong? Her uncle was every possible shade of awesome. He, too, was a Vermilion, though not as rich her parents, and had two daughters and a son. None of which were forced to go to school as often as she, nor as sheltered as she was. In a short, she envied them._

"_But-" The girl tried, but was quickly interrupted by her mother._

"_No buts. You're a young lady, eat like one."_

"_I can eat this entire fish in one chew!"_

"_Mavis. It is a princess sized portion. You are lucky to be treated as so."_

_Princess…? Mavis thought. _

_Thinking that her daughter was now satisfied, she continued eating. _

"_I… I am not a princess." Mavis growled, causing her mother to drop her fork with a loud chink._

"_What… did you say?" _

"_I said: I am not a princess. I am a growing young girl, who wants to learn magic and believes in fairies and unicorns and dragons and true friends and knights in shining armor and the-"_

_SMACK._

_The sound echoed across the room as the girl clutched her face in shock. "Future…" She finished weakly. Mavis looked up in disbelief to find her mom standing in front of her, hand drawn back, a dark shadow cast across her pretty face, as well as a dark aura. Her aqua eyes flashed a dangerous forest green color, and she looked very angry._

"_You are never, to ever, **ever,** **ever**, talk that way again. How **dare** you say you are not a princess?! You are on the same level as one. After all we've done for you, raising you right, teaching you how to be elegant, proper, giving you the prettiest dresses, everything, you **dare** say you are not a princess? How dare you insult your father and I? You dare say you wish to learn magic? HA!" She paused, catching her breath. "Your room, now. Do not come out until Matilda comes to get you. Furthermore," She glared, "You are no longer allowed to see Richard, nor research magic. It does not exist."_

_Mavis scooted her chair back as quickly as she could and ran from the room, as fast as her little legs could take her._

Since that day, her relationship with her mother had been very strained. Mavis scoffed. Her mom never had time for her anyway.

"Mavis." Mr. Vermilion called.

"H-hai?" She replied, startled.

"Do you know what day it is?"

"Um…"

"We've told you a thousand times. It has to do with the turning of the decade?"

"…"

"Mavis…" Her mother sighed. "It's the Decade Parade. I was sure you'd remember it because it rhymed."

"Oh." Mavis replied.

"This is your first one, of course. It should be exciting. Going to the city and all."

"I actually get to go into town? Seriously?" Mavis questioned, fighting back her excitement.

"Why of course. It's the year X060 after all!" Her father said with a surprising amount of cheer. "Go put on a fancier dress dear, you need to look your greatest!"

"Hai, hai!" The young girl replied eagerly, scooting her chair back from the table and running out of the room.

"Mistress Mavis," A female chef called after her, "You didn't finish your food!" Seeing her request was futile, she sighed and went to help out in the kitchen.

"I really don't think we should expose her at such an early age…" Tori sighed to her husband.

"Oh relax, Tori! What's the worst that could happen?"

The woman sighed, took another bite of food, and walked out of the dining hall.

MEANWHILE

"I'm going to the town! I'm going to the town! Lalalalala!" Mavis sung happily, throwing several pillows in the air.

"Mavis! You mustn't do that! Come, come, put on this dress." Matea pleaded, but to no avail.

It had been such a long time since the maid had seen the child so happy. Maybe the dress could wait.

* * *

"Look at that huge dog!"

"Scary!"

"What does he think he's doing?"

"Excuse me! 'xcuse me." Zeref said, squeezing himself through the crowd of people that had flooded the market.

"Watch it kid!"

"Delinquent!"

"Oi!"

"You should've moved." The black haired boy replied. Luckily, he and Acnologia had finally squeezed themselves through the crowd. "I don't see what's so special." He said, scratching his head. All he saw was a brown announcement board with a bunch of papers on it.

"Are you kidding?" The shape shifter asked in disbelief.

"No."

Acnologia looked to Zeref in annoyance. "This board clearly announces that the Vermilions are going to be at the Decade Parade, dumb ass."

"Eh? Why are those rich asses coming here?!" Zeref replied angrily.

"Who knows? Maybe they like to have fun, too."

"Hahahah, funny. Come on, let's go." The boy growled, grabbing his animal friend by the ear.

"Ouch! Cut it out!" Acnologia whined, following him back through the crowd of people. Though he couldn't help but wonder about Zeref's sudden change in mood.

* * *

There! Finished! YES!

So… I apologize for taking nearly two weeks to update this. I am so ashamed. I had a lazy spell and writers block. Those two things really don't mix. BUT! Yesterday, I told myself, AF1-chan, you may not watch the new Fairy Tail until you finish this chapter. And so I wrote about ¾ of it and couldn't contain myself any longer and had to watch it. OMG! I was like, WTF! Was anyone else surprised about the turn of events? I mean sure, they found the other girl last episode, but I still wasn't expecting _that! _And then when Natsu got knocked out, I had a conniption. I have never seen him so… like that… before! But the circumstances caused me to fangirl squeal. … Why the heck am I talking to you about this?! Sorry if I've wasted your time…

So, yep. **FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY ARE CURRENTLY MY OFFICIAL UPDATE DAYS!** That is the best plan to manage my time so I'm not overwhelmed by feeling horrible about not updating. So, if you don't see an update next weekend, look for one the next week. **OH! AND WHEN SCHOOL STARTS AUG 27th; IT WILL JUST BE SATURDAY AND SUNDAY!**

Yeah. My new school has me going to high school and college at the same time, so I'm going to be forty shades of busy. (We've had several school prep sessions throughout the summer to get us ready, which sucks.) So when school starts, you've gotta bear with me about my updates. FRESHMEAT! :/

So yeah. Anyways I am so sorry about not updating. I've been working on it in depth for the past few days, because I've felt really bad. If this chapter sucks, I apologize, and if Mavis, Zeref, and Acnologia seem OOC, I apologize once more. Remember, they are all kids. And, it'll all make sense in the future… At least it should. Anyways, yeah. This chapter may have been boring… but please stick with it! Hate it, Love it, WTF it, review so I can know! Oh, and tell me if you see any grammar mistakes.

**Lucy: AF1-chan doesn't have a name for this chapter. If you do, please tell her! Best name submitted by 8/31/12 will be used for this chapter. Also the reviewer will get an honorable mention and this chapter dedicated to them.**

Happy: Aye sir! Review please~~


	3. Chapter 2: Of Thieves and Princesses P1

Flittering Misfortune

Opposites attract, or so they say. Maybe that's what brought their friendship together as children, and it may be just what tears their relationship apart as adults. But when their differences lead one to become evil, can the other do anything to reverse it? Maybe, or maybe not, though they say that love can conquer all. Story starts off in their childhood, about 400 years before the events of Fairy Tail, multiple genres (friendship, romance, suspense, hurt/comfort, adventure and drama), eventual Zervis/Maref, and Fairy Tail members will eventually enter the story! Long, probably crappy summary that is subject to change, but it'll be a good story. My "re-introduction" to FanFiction, hope it does justice!

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

AnimeFlower: HI! OMG I am so sorry about not updating! When I published the last chapter, I know I promised to update often, but I got discouraged because at first there had only been one review, so I thought no one was reading it anymore. Well, a few months went by and I got a lot more, so I wanted to update but school is stupid and I've had no free time. Luckily, it's Thanksgiving break, and I've decided to boycott school (yes, I still have a lot of work to do on my break :( )and write this for you today. Normally, I would do the whole character dialogue thing, but I feel I've kept you waiting long enough! Sorry guys :( Now that I know people actually read this, I will start updating as often as I can! This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for a break, and I hope you guys are thankful for an update! I know my issues aren't an excuse for keeping you guys waiting, so without further adieu, here's the story! (Wrote all of that yesterday, this is part 1 of chapter 2. I'm sorry :()

Happy: AYE! AF1-chan does not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters! She also apologizes for not updating!

AnimeFlower: Onto~~~ the story!

Arc 1: Chapter 2: Of Thieves and Princesses** Part 1**

"Here we go." Zeref sighed in anticipation, knocking on the door to his aunt and uncle's rundown cottage.

"Go away!" A rough, male voice growled.

"Uncle Drakor, it's Zeref."

"So?" Drakor replied.

"Now Drake…" A female voice chimed in.

Moments later, the door creaked open to reveal a worn looking woman with lavender hair and a timid smile on her face. "Welcome home." She greeted.

"Hi," he replied, stepping into the dimly lit cottage.

"And just where have you been all day?" His uncle inquired from his seat on a beat up couch.

"Out." He replied, walking towards his room.

"Out where?"

"In the market." Zeref replied.

"Oh really?" Drakor scoffed. "Buy anything nice?"

"Nope."

"So what were you doing there? Having a nice laugh?" His uncle said sarcastically, following the statement with a villainous chuckle.

"Actually, I found out that the Vermilions were coming to town." He replied, stopping to look his uncle in the eye.

"Oh? Do you want to go or something?"

"Just to scope them out, y'know?"

"Zeref…" His aunt, Anixanna cautioned.

"You want to scope them out?" Drakor growled.

"Yeah, what's so wrong with that?" Zeref asked.

"What's so wrong with that?" The man repeated, coming to a stand.

Zeref nodded his head slowly, realizing he should've just stayed with Acnologia.

"What's so wrong with scoping out the Vermilions? What's so wrong with going into town? What's so wrong with going near the Vermilions? Eh? What's so wrong?" Drakor walked over to Zeref, bending so his nose was inches from the boy's. His breath, potent with the smell of alcohol, cigarettes and onion singed the boy's nose hairs, causing the young boy to cringe. "I'll tell you what's wrong. That you want to go anywhere near them, even though they are VERMILIONS, RICH VERMILIONS!"

"Here we go…" his aunt sighed, walking to the kitchen.

"Do you know what kind of blasphemy you've just uttered from your mouth, boy?!"

"I don't see what the big deal is!" Zeref shouted.

"The big deal is what they've done to the Dragosia name, Zeref! We are mud because of them!"

"I know that but-!"

"But what?!" Drakor interrupted angrily.

"It's not like I'm trying to become their friend, or even talk to them for that matter!"

"Does it look, does it sound, like I give a flying fuck?!"

"No, but it's not fair, I just want to see who they are. After all, they did this to us." Zeref said quietly.

"Whine, whine, opinion, opinion, explore, fight, whine, is that all you do?!"

The raven haired boy shook his head solemnly.

"Go to your room and don't come out until tomorrow." He finished the argument with a satisfied smirk. With that, the man strutted into the kitchen.

Angrily, Zeref stormed away to his room, wishing e hadn't come home. He kicked open the door and flopped on his bed, trying to ignore how stained his burgundy sheets were. His room was an absolute mess, clothes and trash littered the floor. In addition, it would be considered one of the most depressing places on the planet, considering the fact that it was dressed in various shades of red, brown and black. From blood red to a magnificently gloomy black, his room had it. Although many wouldn't even want to set foot in here, Zeref found comfort in this room. It was just as depressing and messed up as his life, and honestly, that's how he liked it.

~~~~~~~~.~~~.~~~~~~~~~

"Is it almost time to go, Matea?" Mavis asked eagerly.

Matea nodded her head with a smile. They were standing outside of the castle walls next to the carriage meant to whisk them away to the town. All that was standing in the way of the goal was the absence of Judith and Tori Vermilion.

Mavis looked to the far east wall of the castle, and then to the far west, but still no sign of her parents. She sighed and began to unbraid her long, blonde hair, hoping to avoid the watchful gaze of her maid. Once she had finished, she ruffled her classy sapphire dress to make it seem more like it was hers. Nothing in her life fit her, not the scenery, people or clothing. She lamented the creamy outer castle walls, the gargantuan castle itself, and especially its gray tipped towers. She lamented her clothes, all dresses, only fancy pants and blouses. She hated how she was treated like royalty as well as like a little pest. Most of all, she hated that she was born into snobbery. Her pretentious mother was more stuck up than her father, and although they were rich, neither of them had the right to act in this manner. After all, they were wealthy, not royalty.

"Mavis!" Matea scolded, finally taking notice of the girl's deeds. "Your hair and dress! Oh your mother is going to kill me…"

Mavis looked to the adjacent castle doors and - speak of the devil - her mother was walking toward the two of them, tailed by her father. She rolled her eyes at how elegantly her mother was dressed. Blonde hair braided into the shape of a crown, hot pink high heels, long magenta dress with light pink ruffles that flowed past the feet, causing it to need to be held up from the ground, diamond earrings, diamond necklace. All of that fancy stuff. Her father just had on a fancy puffy suit with a gold necklace because that's all the rage with rich people these days.

Soon, her parents had reached the carriage, though not without looks of distaste.

"Mavis," her mother began, "what are you trying to wear into town?"

Mavis looked down to her rumpled sapphire dress in disbelief; other than the slight rumple in the creases, she thought it was just fine.

"Your dress is something a commoner would wear, your hair is unsophisticated," the blonde woman shook her head in disappointment, "goodness Mavis, who exactly are you trying to represent?"

"Now Mrs. Vermillion," Matea butted in, "Her hair was braided when we got out here, and her dress was in better condition as well."

"Well you should've kept a better watch on her then," Mrs. Vermilion replied coldly.

Matea looked away.

"Well now, Mavis, go change." Mr. Vermilion prompted.

"Yes, please do. Make sure the dress makes you appear as if you are worthy of being a Vermilion daughter." Her mother added harshly.

Quietly, the young girl ran towards the far away castle doors, Matea following behind her. Fifteen minutes later, she returned in a purple dress that looked similar to her mother's, though it was a bit shorter. Her cheeks were stained ruby with blush and anger, and her hair was now in a long, complicated braid.

"Now that's a bit better." The blonde woman smiled, climbing into the carriage.

Without saying a word, Mavis crawled into the carriage after her mother, followed by her father and Matea. The party in the carriage sat in aggravated silence as the road to the town commenced.

~/~./~/~~.

"ZEREF!" Drakor yelled from the other side of the door. "Are you in there?"

"Hai." The boy replied solemnly.

"Good. Don't you leave that room, your aunt and I are goin' to visit the city for a little while." Realizing what his nephew was thinking, he quickly added, "It is not to see those dirty, nasty, rotten, stuck-up Vermilions. We have been invited to visit an old friend of ours."

"Oh. Okay." Zeref replied.

"Alright then."

Moments later, the sound of the front door opening and closing was music to Zeref's ears. He looked out of one of the windows in his dark bedroom to find his aunt and uncle getting into a carriage and driving off. He waited a few minutes before knocking on the window four times.

Silence.

He stared out the window into the forest, waiting for some kind of response. Moments later, what appeared to be the apple-thief raven popped up outside his window and cocked his head at him. Zeref stared into its beady button eyes with great intensity, and the bird appeared to stare right back. Finally, the bird broke the staring contest by latching its claws onto the window's lock and turning it, enabling the boy to be able to get out.

The boy pushed the window open, and crawled out of it.

Freedom!

Suddenly, the ground seemed to be much closer. With a crash and the sound of crunching leaves, Zeref now found himself on the forest floor of his backyard. Nothing comes without a price.

Zeref sat up and rubbed his sore, now covered in leaves, backside. That window was much higher than he had anticipated, making him pay for his escape. The raven flew in front of his face and landed on the dirty patch of his knee. It looked him in the eye, as if it were trying to communicate. He grinned at the bird and patted it on the head.

"I'm going to name you Various. Various Strange." Zeref told the raven, whose blueish black feathers were now ruffled. The raven looked to him incredulously, as if that was the stupidest thing it had ever heard. In reality, it probably was.

"It's because you're a weird bird who shows up at random moments to help. You're cool, though."

Cocking its head as if it were confused, the bird flew off into the forest, leaving the boy far behind.

Coming to a stand, he sped off in the direction of the market and Acnologia's cave, hoping that the shape shifting dragon had not yet left him.

~.~.~

Acnologia sighed in annoyance. Zeref had told him he would meet him at his cave an hour before the parade/festival/event or whatever it was those humans were participating in had started. Of course the shape shifter knew that he had issues with his aunt and uncle, but even so this was cutting it close. There were only fifteen minutes before this thing was supposed to begin.

As if on cue, Zeref busted through the trees panting rapidly and uncontrollably. He clutched his chest in pain. If he could help it, he would never run that fast again.

Acnologia shook his head at him in disappointment. He transformed into dog form and bowed so that Zeref could climb on his back. Once the boy was secure, the shifter galloped towards the town as fast as he could, kicking up dirt, dust and leaves.

After several trips, jumps, falls and minutes, the two found themselves at the gate of the market, which was the only way into town on its southern side.

"Get off." Acnologia growled, dropping the boy to the ground.

"Ow!" he cried, rubbing his abused bottom.

"Quit your complaining and come on." The dog growled, rolling his eyes. "We're late."

Sighing, the pair walked through the deserted gates of the market toward the sound of distant cheerful screeches and music. Normally, Zeref would have used this as an opportunity to steal a meal, but no one was around for him to truly enjoy his actions. Plus, everything was locked up and put away, which would make his job more difficult. The pebbled pavement of the market was eerily still, as was the air.

"Oi, Acnologia," Zeref mumbled.

"What?" He replied gruffly.

"Where is everyone?"

"Can't you hear them in the distance? That's where they are."

"You're sure?"

"Yes."

The two continued to walk in the almost silence of the market, and much to Zeref's dismay, the end of the market and the entrance to the town did not seem to be getting any closer. He was really beginning to get scared. Not that he would admit that. Slowly, he began to increase his pace, begrudgingly passing food stand by jewelry stand by flower stand. It really sucked he couldn't steal anything.

"Acnologia…"

"What?"

"How much further?"

The shape shifter growled at him in annoyance, then began to run.

"HEY! Don't leave me!" Zeref cried, picking up the pace.

After about five minutes of Acnologia running nearly too fast for Zeref to keep up, they reached the back of a gigantic, noisy crowd, consisting of all the market merchants, local towns people and even foreigners.

"Finally!" Zeref gasped, slapping his hands to his knees.

"What, were you scared?" Acnologia smirked.

"No!" Zeref lied.

"Good. Let's see if we can get to the front."

With that, they began to shimmy through the crowd, crouched down low to the ground. There were people everywhere. Too many people. Some were dirty, others were so pristine they looked as if they had been steam cleaned and put into plastic wrap. There were too many kids running around unsupervised. Way too many people screaming, yelling and hollering for the parade to start and for the Vermilions to arrive. Really, it was just too busy, and it was making the secret dragon uncomfortable. After all, weren't dragons supposed to avoid people? Technically, everyone thought he was the dog of the market's troublemaker, but still.

"Sorry." The boy apologized, slipping past yet another person. "Excuse us."

"Ow!" Acnologia cried. Some kid had grabbed his ear.

"Hey kid! Get back here!"

"Daddy, that black dog scares me!"

"Excuse me!"

"That kid is skipping!"

"Shut the hell up! There are no lines here!" Zeref yelled to no one in particular.

At long last, they had reached the front of the crowd, which seemed to be the middle of the town. At least now they could stand up properly without worrying about someone's elbow hitting them in the eye. In front of them was a huge pathway that no one dared to cross, and on the other side, there were more townspeople. The daggers being shot from the eyes of the people they had passed were palpable, and it took every ounce of strength inside of Zeref to keep from pummeling every eye that was glued to his head.

"It's them!" A voice to their right shouted.

Every eye in the crowd shifted to the right simultaneously to find a gigantic white float shaped like a smashed box coming toward them. On it, some short, plump man with emerald colored hair in white suit Zeref didn't recognize was waving wildly while holding a microphone. His plain, white float was shooting colorful banners, strings and such every which way.

"Who's gonna clean up this mess?" Zeref grumbled in annoyance, earning a sharp jab in the ribs from his pal.

"Hello, hello!" The man yelled into the microphone. "Welcome, welcome! Today is the Decade Parade! Eat! Enjoy! Laugh! Play! Scream! It's the year X60!" As the float passed the two of them, Zeref could swear he could feel the spit coming from that guy's mouth. Gross. Yet everyone was cheering and clapping as if he had uttered the most beautiful words in history. "Don't forget to meet and greet with the Vermilions! Without them, where would we be in life?"

"Nowhere!" Everyone shouted, causing the two forest dwellers to raise their eyebrows.

"Right! Today, their all here, each Vermilion in their clan! Even the highest of them all, Judith, Tori and Mavis!" The man shouted gleefully, his float getting ever father away. Everyone erupted into a roar of cheers. Some guy on the other side of the parade way even passed out.

"Be safe today! Show your appreciation for them!"

And with that, he began waving again, leaving Zeref and the people around him behind. As a rainbow colored parade float carrying jugglers that surrounded some woman in a ruby suit trying to balance herself on a circus ball passed by, the raven haired boy could hear the spitty guy restart his entire speech in the distance. With the circus came festive music that made him want to vomit. Following their float was a float full of animals, strange cats with wings, walruses, colorful birds, all kinds of weird stuff like that. The wheels shot out sprinkles and sparkles and strings and everything that these people were going absolutely wild for. Unfortunately, as it passed by, it shot all of these things out directly in Zeref and Acnologia's faces, much to their dismay.

A posh looking man with his hair slicked back placed his hand on Zeref's shoulders, causing him to flinch. "That's ten years of good luck for you and your dog."

"Oh really? Cool." He replied, shrugging the man off.

The man grumbled and walked off stiffly, miffed that his gesture had been received this way.

Twenty minutes and forty ugly floats later, the floats carrying the Vermilions began to pass by. By far, their floats looked way better than the raggedy, overly colored, poorly prepared floats Zeref had seen previously. The first one, carrying a tall, black haired man dressed like a gothic king and a tall woman with lavender hair that reached the mid of her back dressed like a gothic queen was Zeref's favorite float, if he had to choose. It seemed gloomy, yet elegant, and that was his only problem. It was shaped like a sea urchin and was laden with darkened rubies all around its gray body. He had no idea rich people could even be like this. He found it cool.

However, following this float, there were nothing but fancy, cheery floats carried the Vermilions. Floats that were all kinds of colors: pink, red, gold, sky blue, light green, yellow, lavender, rainbow, everything fancy, one after another. _They must be the oddballs in the family._ Zeref thought, watching people run out to grab some of the riches that had fallen off the last float. He looked expectantly towards where all the floats were spawning from, but five minutes had passed, and nothing had appeared.

"Come on, Acnologia," Zeref said, gesturing for the shape shifter to follow him. "This was a waste of time."

Acnologia nodded his head in agreement, turning to follow the boy. They began to work their way out of the crowd.

"The moment you've all been waiting for!" Someone, who sounded a lot like the spitty guy yelled, causing them to stop in their tracks. "The highest of the high, the best of the best, Tori and Judith Vermilion!"

Quickly, Zeref rushed back to the front to see if he could see what everyone was screaming so loudly about. After all, they were just Vermilions. When he reached the front, even he was taken aback. The float in front of them was absolutely beautiful, though Zeref would never admit that. Tori and Judith Vermilion were standing in the middle of a giant pink clam shaped float, smiling and waving, flashing their sparkling teeth every-which-way. Zeref assumed that they were supposed to be looked at as pearls, since they were inside a clam. This irritated him to no end. That could be him, riding a float four million times cooler than the sea urchin guys.

The float rolled to the center of the crowd, which was where Zeref was standing, then stopped. The blonde haired woman on the float, who they assumed to be Tori Vermilion, grabbed a microphone that was hidden at the top of the clam, causing every spectator to quiet down, and began to speak.

"Good afternoon, citizens of the town." She smiled. "I hope you are enjoying your day today. Are you having a good time?" Everyone began to clap quietly. "Good, good, I'm glad. Today, Judith and I would like to introduce our daughter, Mavis."

A hole opened up in the floor of the clam, and a platform raised a petite blonde girl in a purple dress to the surface. She waved shyly to the crowd, smiling a smile that Zeref could tell was fake. Her mother motioned for her to stand by her side, which she adhered to promptly.

"Yes, this is her first parade and her first time in the town. She turned eight just this year. I trust you all will treat her as well as you treat us."

The girl continued to smile and wave, accidentally locking Zeref in her line of vision. She raised an eyebrow at him subtly, as if she knew he didn't belong there. He pretended as if he were looking off into the distance in the hope that she would look away, but he still felt her gaze on him.

The black haired man took the microphone from her. "Thank you all for coming to see us, and have a wonderful decade!" Cheers erupted from the crowd.

The float then continued to travel down the parade route, the three Vermilions on board waving and flashing forced smiles. Zeref could tell that Mavis was wearing the most forced smile of them all.

_What's her problem?_ Zeref thought angrily, staring intently at the passing float. _She's rich, she has it all._

People now began to walk across the path that the floats had been using for crossing, for the parade of floats was now over.

"Uh, Zeref?" Acnologia prompted, for the boy was still frozen in stupor. "Zeref!"

"Huh?" The boy muttered dumbly.

"Come on, the parade is over."

"No. We're going to follow that last batch of Vermilions."

"Why?"

"Because we're rebels."

"That makes no-" He paused, seeing that the boy was already leaving without him. "Never mind…" Sighing, he warily followed the boy through the crowd. _Only Zeref is stupid enough to tail the Vermilions. Just what is he trying to pull? _ He thought in disapproval.

0.~0.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.0

Mavis looked down from her position on top of the clam float to all the people they were passing by. Normally, she would be happy for a chance to go into town, but this was really bittersweet. She couldn't forget what her mother had said this morning.

"_Make sure the dress makes you appear as if you are worthy of being a Vermilion daughter." _

The words echoed harshly in her mind. Mavis had never been a bad daughter, yet her mother treated her like dirt. She had no right. She wasn't a queen!

The feeling of the clam coming to a halt snapped Mavis out of her thoughts. The girl glanced up to see her parents being ushered down from the float, and she quickly followed suit. Lyle, their butler, offered her his hand. She smiled and accepted his kind gesture. Once she was on solid ground, she stretched as high as she possibly could, earning a dirty glance from her mother.

"Now, my ladies, my sir," Lyle began, "Your relatives have already begun their meet and greet with the towns people, so I'm sure you wish to do the same."

Meet and greet? Mavis hadn't heard about this part.

"Yes, Lyle, thank you." Her mother replied. "You ready to go, Mavis?"

"Yeah." Mavis said quietly.

"Just in case you didn't know, dear," Judith said, "the meet and greet is more of a way to explore the town, although yes, you do have to converse with the commoners." He waited, then added, "Not that you'd mind," under his breath.

"Can I explore by myself, father?"

Her father looked to the sky in thought. "Hmm…"

"Absolutely not!" Her mother interjected. "Jude! How could you even consider letting her go off by herself?!"

"Well… I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" He questioned.

"She could get lost! Or worse…!"

"I'm sure she'll be fine, dear." He turned to his daughter. "You have my permission to explore."

Mavis nearly jumped up and down with excitement. "Arigatou, father."

"Jude!" Tori placed her fingers on her temples and began to rub them in a circle. "Fine. You may go. However, you must stay with your guards at all times!"

"Yes, mother." Mavis agreed, wishing to get out of there.

Two burly men in suits and Matea appeared behind her, waiting to escort her. Seeing that her guards had appeared, she bid her parents farewell and ran off in the opposite direction.

"Jude… I am very angry with you right now." Tori growled.

"Relax, Ri-chan!" Judith said. "She needs to gain some experience with dealing with the lesser kind. The perfect way to do so? It's on her own!"'

"Sure." The woman growled, rolling her eyes. "All this commoner filth on my lovely pink dress."

"I will have it steam cleaned twice for you, madam." Lyle said stiffly.

"Make it thrice, please." And with that, she stuck her nose in the air and began to walk the town, followed by her husband, Lyle, and their guards.

However, no one noticed the little Dragosia boy, watching from a distance in confusion, anger, shock and awe. His dog, now transformed into a scary looking man, had his hand clamped over the boy's mouth to keep him from doing something stupid.

Zeref, irritated that Acnologia had his hand over his mouth, decided to lick his hand. Acnologia pulled his hand away in disgust and shot Zeref a dirty look.

"Dude. That's gross. Can we go now?" The shifter asked.

"No." Zeref replied, walking in the direction the girl had. "Come on, we're gonna follow that girl."

Instead of asking why, Acnologia simply complied with his demands and followed the boy. "Just stay inconspicuous, please."

"Yada, yada, yada, all you do is worry." Zeref said, sticking his tongue out at his friend.

"Mavis-san!" Matea cried after the girl. "Slow down a bit! You'll ruin your dress!"

"Relax Matea," One of Mavis's identical body guards said. "What's the worst that can happen if we give her a little leg room?"

A million different scenarios ran through the maid's head, making her world spin a bit. Steadying herself, she shook her head and said, "I guess you're right." Mavis was happy right now, and that was all that really mattered to the maid.

/: .~.~.~. :)

AnimeFlower: Part 1, complete! I apologize, I know I said the chapter would be up by midday today, and although it is midday (my time) it's not the entire chapter. … I suck. I know. I'm sorry. :( Please forgive me! I will have the other half up either tonight or tomorrow afternoon. If it were up to me, I would spend the rest of the day on this, but I've got a lot of school work to do and some other things on my plate as well.

Yeah. So other part is coming soon, don't worry. Sorry if I've disappointed you. Take the time to review guys! It'll keep my creative energy pumping! I'll start doing the talk to the characters thing again in chapter 3!

Happy: Aye! Review for the modderlowd!

Shout out to Lilitraum! You're cool. :)


End file.
